In agreement; Sad but True. The wonder is in perspective. The engineer keeps his job with constant streams of design, while towing mechanics along by force. The public supports corporations in an off-handed way, at least partially towed along by advertisement. The bulk of advertisement hypes 'improvement' made to sound like an evolutionary process, that in reality is merely change. A social element reacts in adopting 'changed' products, services, or mere ideas accepting those as the norm. Fortunate groups have the past for countless reference points, others have ?
Then all shake their collective heads "...they just don't get it..."
I'll keep my reference points, thank you.

Sincerely,
Toolmaker51
...we'll learn more by wandering than searching...

The Following User Says Thank You to Toolmaker51 For This Useful Post:

Took me a second to get that. My wife can't drive a stick, but my X could. My son who's hella coordinated can't drive a stick, my daughter who's not that coordinated drives one like a pro. I guess that's why I didn't get it at first.....it is funny though.

What reference points?!?! We don need no stinkin' reference points!.......you'd have to have long term memory for that!

The Following User Says Thank You to C-Bag For This Useful Post:

I made my daughter learn to drive stick before she could get her license, She told me thanks years later. Guess it paid off many times
while she was in college. But I agree it's an Anti theft device also. Oh, I remember the cops caught a guy trying to steal a Saab with the
keys in his hand he couldn't find the 80's Saab's ignition switch in the center console, "I told friends to throw the keys on the floor to start".

The Following User Says Thank You to Lamaide For This Useful Post:

Taught daughter in-law to drive new-to-her 80's Honda 5 speed. In the DRIVEWAY!
I'd rate her non-mechanical, average coordination, short attention span, but still could focus. Did show her a cutaway drawing of a clutch setup for a little insight to what occurs.
Flat portion of my driveway is rather long [4 car], but the apron rises nearly 4' in 20' before that. I fired it up, rolled back so rear tires were in gutter and we switched seats. In 2nd,"OK ease out the clutch so you feel the bog of the engine, try using a little gas to keep it from stalling". Of course she stalled 3-4 times, which was my intent. Now find 1st; ease the clutch and a light foot on the gas. 2 tries; hardly any of the usual lurching which always increases because the foot is lurching right along with your neck. 3rd attempt was near perfect. Pulled out in the street, and away we went! Got the idea long before, riding my Sportster in San Francisco. All that traffic and those crazy hills. Positively worst kind of place on earth to stall or drop a bike.
Another way I've done which works; expose them first to reverse on flat ground. The 'granny gear' effect makes coordinating clutch and gas easier than stalling.
So, I've had more sticks than auto-trans vehicles.
Speaking of which; our work-truck is a 28', 56k, 13 speed, 3208 CAT, dual axle flatbed rollback. Mainly for rigging machinery at ground level, unloading a 25,000 lb forklift etc. Anyway it's partially OOC for full loads while I'm making new skids; old wood is decayed. New ones are UHMW. Took effort to get supplier of 2'' x 3'' strips. So they rent a semi-tractor and dock high flat bed. Seems like it's a Volvo, whatever engine and 13 speed. AUTOMATIC, yet feels, sounds, and runs just like a conventional drivetrain. Apparently a governor interprets RPM and cylinders operate the clutch and shifters. And despite rules otherwise it shifts in the middle of an intersection. ''...but officer it's self-controlled''! Now, I'm no kind of truck driver but auto-shift seems a plus in town, can't speculate results over the road.
It all gets me to thinking on my stick transmissions over the years, including several motorcycles. Let 105 lb girlfriend drive my Sportster. California wasn't a helmet state yet, she wanted to, and already rode decent size dirtbikes.
"OK, but only if you can start it".
No cell phones back then, need be how on earth I locate her happy butt on my treasured putt? If you've ever heard Richard Thompson's "1952 Vincent Black Lightning"? you can visualize my Kate Jackson lookalike riding, long dark hair trailing behind, running it through the gears.
Horses or motorcycles; nothing more beautiful than when ridden by a woman.

Sincerely,
Toolmaker51
...we'll learn more by wandering than searching...

The Following User Says Thank You to martink For This Useful Post:

When My oldest daughter turned 16 I had just bought the wife a new 87 Chrysler 5th avenue but didn't trade in the 79 Dodge Aspen because I knew the girl was going to need a car soon Both vehicles were automatics and the only other small vehicle I owned was my custom built by me 81 Ford 1 ton welding rig 1160 Cat 10 speed road ranger + 2 speed auxiliary with a clutch that took a strong leg to depress so she didn't get a chance to learn stick She drove the Aspen for 2 or 3 years but by her 2nd year in collage the 80 mile round trip every day was taking its toll She had been saving her money somehow,with going back and forth to class and work. Working part time doesn't afford much extra money but anyway at the end of a year's worth of scrimping she had managed a tidy sum of close to 2 K. She decided it was time for her to buy herself a new car. I told her that I was only along for the ride and to intervene if I thought the salesperson wasn't being fair.
HA,HA I might as well have stayed home we piled into the Chrysler letting her drive and off to a dealership we went or should I say dealerships. Car shopping with a 19 year old girl is worst than going shoe shopping in a mall with Emelda Marcos, after the 6th dealership I was ready top just say kid I'll buy you any car at the next dealership we stop at just to get to go home, but I didn't
The next place we stopped at was just about to close since it was getting on towards 9 PM. She literally had to drag me into the show room where I quickly spied a comfortable chair to sit in while she had a look at the cars She spied this ugly little Teal green GEO Metro and called to me Daddy I'm going to take this one home with me if I can get the price down to where I want it. This is going to be good I thought A show room car sticker price of 10K for something that I wouldn't pay more than 7 for on if I was desperate. Well after 20 minutes of her haggling with the sales clerk she walks over to ask me my opinion of the deal she was about to sign. First time buyer's discount student discount 50,000 mile bumper to bumper 3 years free oil change and services $1,800.00 cash down yada, yada, yada. total price out the door tax tittle and license included she would be making payments on a balance of $4000.00
I'm thinking how on earth did she do that, when she told me he liked my smile and I had beat him up on the price because it has 250 miles on it I simply stated the new law about new car mileage limits even though it wasn't over I got his manager to to sell it to me as a demonstrator vehicle. What do you think?
It's a stick who's going to drive it home? I told her while it was alright with her mom for her to drive the Chrysler as long as one of us were with her that I was not going to let her drive it home by herself while I drove the shoe box.
NO problem she said I've watched you drive your trucks all my life,then she got in the GEO started it up and after 1 or 2 false starts drove away while me, the manager and the salesman just shook our heads. 90,000 miles later she traded it in for a new 6 speed Dodge pickup and so far as my knowledge has never driven an automatic since

Yeah but his foot work leaves something to be desired and he seems to constantly have to stab it in gear I guess he hasn't heard of that he could install a spring on the bottom and conserve a lot of energy after all the modern pogo stick has been around since the 1920's well before even us aging boomers